Simmons



Patented May 19,1891.

(N0 Mo deI D. RICE. CARPET STRETOHER.

UUUUUU UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

DAVID RICE, OF READING, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO ANDRElV M. R. FITZ SIMMONS, OF SAME PLACE.

CARPET-STRETCH ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 452,508, dated May 19, 1891. Application filed February 18, 1890- Serial No. 340,883. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern: form of the invention indicated in the draw- Be it known that I, DAVID RICE, a citizen ings the cross-bar Bis provided with a lift or of the United States, residing at Reading, in supplemental block B, which has the rectanthe county of Hillsdale and State of Michigan, gular opening through which the shaft A 5 5 have invented eertainnew and useful Impasses; but I am not confined to any such provements in Carpet Stretchers; and I do construction as this, but can fix the cross-bar hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, in any manner which will enable it to slide and exact description of the invention, such easily and freely upon the main bar. This as will enable others skilled in the art to cross-bar is provided on its under surface 60 to which it appertains to make andnse the with aseries of teeth, prongs, pins, or other Same, sharpened projections or devices I) Z) Z). (See This invention relates to an improvement Figs. 1 and 3, particularly Fig. 3.) These in carpet-stretching devices, the object of the prongs or sharpened teeth will be of such a invention being to provide a simple, comcharacter that they can readily lay hold of 6 r 5 plete, and efficient device whereby carpets the edge of the carpet, as indicated in Fig. 1,

may be stretched in a proper, satlsfactory, although they must be so constructed and arand suitable manner without injury to the ranged as not to injure or disfigure the carearpet and with the expenditure of but little pet. labor on the part of the user of the device; Having now observed the structure of the 70 and the invention consists, essentially, in the main bar and the mode of anchoring the same construction, arrangement, and combination when the device is in operative position and of parts, substantially as will be hereinafter having seen also the sliding tooth-provided described and then claimed. cross-bar which grasps the carpet, it is neces- In the accompanying drawings, illustrating sary for us next to explain the construction 75 2 5 my invention,- Figure l is a side elevation of and arrangement'of the device whereby the my improved carpet-stretcher, illustrated in crossbar is slid or moved upon the main bar the position that it occupies when doing the for the purpose of drawing or stretching the practical work of stretching the carpet. Fig. carpet. 2 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3 1s a C is the lever-handle, which is grasped by 8o detail sectional elevation of the cross-bar, the operator when the device is in practical showing its series of teeth. use. The lower end of this lever is provided Like letters of reference designate correwith a pair of curved or otherwise shaped sponding parts throughout the diiferent figarms or prongs c c, which lie on each side of ures of the drawings. the main bar A. 3 3 5 A denotes the main bar or shaft of myim- On the main bar A and mounted movably proved carpet-stretching device. It 1sprefthereon are two vertical dog-bars D and E, erably a rectangular metallic bar of suitable each of which is provided with a square or length and size, although its precise form othersuitably-shaped slot oropening, through and structure may vary as desired. This which passes the main bar A. Thus it will 0 40 main bar A is provided at one end with a be seen that these two dog-bars are free to couple of curved prongs Ct a, having ends move upon the main barA and that they have more or less sharpened, which adapt them to their upper portions rising vertically above catch into the floor and thus grip or lay hold the main bar, while their lower portions exof the same in such amanner as to anchor the tend vertically downward beneath it. 95 4,5 device at this point when it is being used. D is the dog nearest to the anchoring-prongs B denotes the crossbar located at right a a, while E is the dog nearest to the toothangles to the main bar or shaft A. This provided transverse bar. cross-bar is of suitable length and is so con- The arms or prongs c c on the operatingstructed that the main bar A passes loosely lever C are pivoted to the lower end of the 10c through it, thus permitting the cross-bar to dog-bar D. (See Figs. 1 and 2.) The upper slide upon the main bar. In that precise end of said dog-bar Dis provided with a spring (7, consisting of a flat piece of metal, which bears firmly upon the upper sideof the main bar A, as shown. This spring serves to keep the dog D from locking itself upon the main shaft A when the lever O is thrown downward for the purpose of propelling the dog forward toward the forked end, as will be hereinafter seen when we come to explain the operation of the device. The spring also serves to brace this dog when the lever-handle is thrown upward for the purpose of drawing the cross-bar toward the forked end of the main bar. The curved arms or prongs c c are, furthermore, connected to the dog E at a point slightly below the main bar A by means of the links G G. The lower end of the dog-bar E is pivoted between the ends of the inclined braces or strips F F, which are firmly secured to the edge of the cross-bar B, as shown.

I will now proceed to describe the use and operation of the device. Suppose it to be located in the position shown in Fig. 1, where the curved prongs have embedded their sharpened ends into some permanent or stationary object, such as the floor, while the pin or tooth-provided crossbar is placed with its teeth engaging the edge of the carpet to be stretched. The exact points at which the cross-bar, as well as the two dogs D and E, will be located upon the main bar A at this time will of course be determined more or less by the distance it is desired to stretch the carpet. The cross-bar may be located at the extreme end of the main bar A, and thus the dogs also correspondingly removed from the prong-provided end of the main bar. Suffice it to say that in any instance probably the cross-bar and the dogs will be removed at some distance from the prongs. The handle now being in the position shown in Fig. 1, the operator will lift it vertically, pursuing the direction of the arrow in said figure. As he lifts the handle the dog D will bind on the bar, thus remaining firm and immovable, and the connecting-links G G will draw upon the dog E, which, as we have seen, is connected to the braces F F, that are secured to the cross-bar B, and thus the cross-bar will be drawn forward, and with it the carpet, which of course will thus be stretched a certain amount. Next the operator will allow the handle C to fall into the position it before occupied, as shown in Fig. 1, and as it is lowered the dog E will lock itself upon the main bar, there being the backward pressure of the stretching carpet exerted through the braces F 1* upon the lower end of the dog-bar E, which of course will slightly incline said dog-bar and firmly lock it to the main bar. The dog E thus being locked, the result of the lowering of the handle will be to push the dog D along upon the main bar toward the prongs a a, the spring cl serving at this time to keep the dog D from becoming locked upon the main bar, although the pushing pressure which is being exerted upon said dog-bar is exerted at its lower end, and might, if there were no spring (7, result in looking the said dog-bar upon the main bar. The dog D having thus been shifted in position, it is evident that if the operator again lifts the handle 0 he can draw forward the cross-bar B another distance, and thus stretch the carpet somewhat more. By alternately raising and lowering the handle, therefore, it will be at once seen that the user of the device can continue to stretch the carpet by drawing the same forward a succession of distances until the dogD is moved to its limit upon the cross-bar, when the carpet may be tacked and the device shifted for another stretch, or any other course which maybe demanded by the circumstances of the individual case pursued in order to accomplish desired results.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a carpet-stretcher, the combination of the main bar having at one end sharpened prongs adapted to grip the floor, the crossbar at right angles to the main bar and sliding laterally thereon, said cross-bar being provided on its under surface with a series of sharpened pins or teeth adapted to lay hold of the carpet, the two vertical dog-bars D and E, mounted movably upon the main bar, which passes through suitably-shaped openings in the dog-bars, the operating-lever (3, having its lower end provided with a pair of arms or prongs c c, which lie on each side of the main bar and are pivoted to the lower end of the dog-bar D, the spring cl, connected to the upper end of dog-bar D and bearing firmly upon the upper side of the main bar, the rigid inclined braces or strips F 1*,secured to the sliding cross-bar. and between the ends of which the lower end of the dogbar E is pivoted, and the links G G, pivoted to the curved arms 0 c and also to the dogbar E at a point below the main bar,substantially as described.

2. In a carpet-stretcher, the combination of the main bar A, having prongs a a, the laterally-sliding cross-bar mounted upon the main bar and having upon its under side series of teeth 1), adapted to engage the carpet, the dogs D E, arranged to lock alternately on the main bar, the lever-handle 0, having its lower end pivoted to the lower end of the dog-barD, the spring (l, connected to the upper end of said dog-bar D, the links G G, pivoted to the lever and the dog-bar E, and the braces rigid on the cross-bar and between which the lower end of dog-bar E is pivoted, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DAVID RICE.

Witnesses:

A. M. R. Frrzsnnnons, O. K. FITZSIMMONS. 

